Spring Journey
by Orangeflight of ShadowClan
Summary: In HarmonyClan, secluded in the middle of a forest, everything has always been peaceful. The cats thrive with almost no rules, and it is a true paradise. But one fateful day, two apprentices get swept downstream, and they try their hardest to get back to the Clan. But little do they know that StarClan has other plans….


**SPRING JOURNEY**

 _In HarmonyClan, secluded in the middle of a forest, everything has always been peaceful. The cats thrive with almost no rules, and it is a true paradise. But one fateful day, two apprentices get swept downstream, and they try their hardest to get back to the Clan. But little do they know that StarClan has other plans…._

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 **Heeey everyone :3 It's Orange, back on FanFiction! I was in a huge writing funk, I couldn't shake it off for montHs. But now it's all over, and I can safely say that I've returned. I'll give a few updates about what's happening in my life.**

 **1\. My phone was taken away by my parents and I currently do nOT have it. That's also one of the reasons why I came back-**

 **2\. My instagram acc is solarlatte, and I'm way more active there than anywhere else (well, not without my phone, but oh well)**

 **3\. Apparently being sad and lonely is really great for my productivity, so I'm actually doing well in school and I also started drawing again too**

 **4\. I think that's everything relevant**

 **Now, on to the story!**

Allegiances

 _HarmonyClan_

LEADER: FUZZYSTAR—fluffy gray tom with amber eyes

DEPUTY: CHASINGDAWN—beautiful ginger tabby and white she-cat with golden eyes

MEDICINE CAT: BLOOMTAIL—silver she-cat with a white tail and green eyes

APPRENTICE, BEEPAW

WARRIORS

PEBBLECLAW—gray tabby and white tom with dark blue eyes

CLOUDFLOWER—pure white she-cat with green eyes

BRACKENFACE—white tom with a brown face and amber eyes

APPRENTICE, DAPPLEPAW

RUSSETFLAME—dark ginger she-cat with amber eyes

JAYWING—silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes

RABBITFUR—brown and white tom with green eyes

PETALWHISKER—gray and white spotted she-cat with blue eyes

NIGHTSTORM—black tom with blue eyes

APPRENTICE, SANDPAW

OLIVEGAZE—brown tabby and white tom with green eyes

FERRETPOUNCE—black and brown-patched tom with amber eyes

APPRENTICE, SHADOWPAW

LIGHTNINGFOOT—swift black and white tom with amber eyes

SPOTTEDMOON—white and black spotted she-cat with green eyes

VINECLAW—dark gray tabby tom with green eyes

SKYWHISPER—white and gray she-cat with blue eyes

BLIZZARDRIPPLE—gray tom with rippled white stripes and blue eyes

APPRENTICE, SPARROWPAW

OATFERN—brown tom with white paws and green eyes

APPRENTICES

BEEPAW—black and gray she-cat with golden eyes

DAPPLEPAW—tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

SANDPAW—light brown tabby and white tom with ice blue eyes

SHADOWPAW—black and white tufted she-cat with amber eyes

SPARROWPAW—dark brown and white tabby tom with green eyes

QUEENS

ICESONG—white and gray tabby she-cat with clear blue eyes

LEOPARDHEART—pure black she-cat with blue eyes

SPLASHFEATHER—silver tabby and white she-cat with blue eyes, mother of Gustkit (gray tom with black stripes and green eyes) and Berrykit (silver and white she-kit with green eyes)

ELDERS

JUNIPERFUR—smoky gray and white she-cat with dull green eyes

BADGERFANG—black and white tom with blue eyes

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 _Chapter One_ _: Enter: Dapplepaw_

" _I hope you're ready for a_ hard day of training," Ferretpounce meowed, looking up from the bird he was chewing on. "Brackenface is a fantastic warrior, so I expect his training to be the same."

Shadowpaw swallowed the warm piece of vole in her mouth, her amber eyes shining in excitement. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be!" she chirped.

It was a warm day in HarmonyClan, perfect for going out or relaxing on the heated rocks. A few days in a moon, the apprentices and mentors would all train together in an effort to learn everything they could, as was Clan custom. Today, Shadowpaw and her mentor, Ferretpounce, would be training with Brackenface and Dapplepaw.

Ferretpounce swallowed the last of his meal before getting to his paws. "When you're finished, we'll all be at the camp entrance," the black and brown tom meowed. He padded off with a flick of his tail.

After a few quick moments, Shadowpaw had finished as well. She dashed up to her mentor, eyes brightening when she saw Brackenface and Dapplepaw. "I hope we have fun," she purred.

"We definitely will," Dapplepaw replied, smiling at her. "Brackenface is the best mentor _ever_. It'll be like training with Fuzzystar!"

The white and brown warrior licked his chest fur in embarrassment, muttering, "I don't know about all of that, Dapplepaw…."

"It's true," she responded, her voice warm. "You're amazing."

Any cat in the Clan could see that the tortoiseshell apprentice had a huge crush on her mentor…. Well, any cat but Brackenface, of course. It was amazing that he hadn't noticed, especially considering that nobody tried to hide it from him.

Ferretpounce coughed, gaining everyone's attention. "Are we going to train or not?" he asked, lashing his fluffy tail.

"Yes, of course," Brackenface meowed. "When we get to the clearing, I'll explain our training session." He padded out of the camp with a flourish of his tail.

Shadowpaw's eyes sparkled in excitement, and she dashed after the warrior. Bright sunlight filtered through the canopy, showering the forest floor with dancing images. A warm breeze swept through her fur and rustled the leaves around her as she ran.

Before she knew it, they were in the clearing. Brackenface sat on top of a stone, the sun lighting up his pelt. He curled his tail around his paws and then began explaining the training session.

"We are going to practice agility today. We need to be as swift as we can be in case of an attack, and we also need to be able to catch our prey quickly and easily." Brackenface nodded to Dapplepaw, who immediately jumped to her paws. "Dapplepaw, make sure everyone is in top shape. We're going to race."

"Race?" Shadowpaw asked excitedly. Dapplepaw had always been the fastest of the apprentices, but she had never been able to actually see her in action. _Looks like today's the day_ , she thought happily.

"You know how to run, right?" the tortoiseshell apprentice asked, padding up to the black she-cat.

"Of course!"

"Properly?" Dapplepaw squinted.

"Uh…."

"Watch me." The other apprentice lowered herself into a crouch, positioning her haunches. She lifted her tail so that it wouldn't brush the ground, and flicked her ears so that they were alert. Once she was ready, Dapplepaw meowed, "If you run like this, you'll take off with more force. Being faster at the beginning is really important."

Shadowpaw blinked. Ferretpounce had never taught her something like this before! She tried to mimic Dapplepaw's pose.

"Don't curl your tail like that," the tortoiseshell meowed, walking over and smoothing it out. "It doesn't really affect your running, it just looks really sloppy."

Shadowpaw tried to stick her tail out as straight as she could. But it was so fluffy that it flopped down anyway.

"Uh… I guess that's all right," Dapplepaw said hesitantly, hiding a humorous smile. "But don't be surprised when you see me come out as the winner."

"No way. _I'm_ gonna win," Shadowpaw purred, playfully narrowing her eyes at the tortoiseshell apprentice.

"Is that a challenge?" Dapplepaw crouched, wriggling her haunches as if preparing to pounce. Her blue eyes glittered with laughter.

"Save the rivalries for the race," Brackenface purred, jumping down from the stone and resting his tail on Dapplepaw's flank. "You two will both be worthy opponents."

The tortoiseshell brightened under her mentor's touch, and Shadowpaw gave him a small smile.

"Are you ready, Shadowpaw?" Ferretpounce asked, his whiskers twitching.

The black-furred she-cat turned towards him, eyes blazing with thrill. "Readier than I was this morning," she purred.

"Okay everyone, get in position," Brackenface ordered.

They all fell into a line in the center of the clearing. Shadowpaw cast a quick look towards Dapplepaw. The other apprentice was in the position she had showed earlier, her tail lashing impatiently. The black she-cat smiled, dropping into the same position. Dapplepaw may be the legendary fastest apprentice, but Shadowpaw wasn't going to lose so easily.

"We're racing from here to camp, and then back to here," the white and brown warrior meowed, lowering himself into a crouch. "Whoever wins gets to gloat about it for a moon." He cast a side glance at Dapplepaw, who purred happily at the prize info.

"On your mark…."

Shadowpaw fluffed out her tail and perked her white-tipped ears, narrowing her eyes.

"Get set…."

Ferretpounce crouched into position beside her, throwing her a nod as if to say 'good luck'. Shadowpaw smiled in reply.

" _Go_!"

Shadowpaw leaped forward immediately, taking off in an instant. The trees blurred around her, and thrill raced through her veins. She knew she was in first place, for she didn't see Brackenface, Ferretpounce, or Dapplepaw. _I'm winning! Take that, Dapplepaw!_

But the longer she ran, the more tired she became. She felt her legs start to lag, and every breath she took burned. She huffed, trying to catch her bearings.

In a few moments, Dapplepaw dashed past her, throwing her a side glance. "Look who's losing now!" she purred haughtily, and then quickened her pace even further.

Shadowpaw gasped. She wasn't going to be outdone! She ignored her tiredness and pushed on.

By the time she finally returned back to the clearing, Brackenface was sitting on top of the stone again, Ferretpounce was grumbling a few paces away, and Dapplepaw was circling the stone cheerfully. Once the tortoiseshell she-cat spotted her, she bounded over.

"I won," she purred. "Too bad, Shadowpaw."

"This isn't over," the black-furred she-cat retorted, narrowing her eyes. "You just got lucky!"

"Right." Dapplepaw snickered. "But I'm sorry for tricking you before the race."

"What?" Shadowpaw stared at her, confused.

"Oh—you didn't notice?" Dapplepaw curled her tail, blue eyes glowing with embarrassment. "Winning a race isn't about starting off faster. Slow and steady in the beginning, then you have to pick up the pace. It's the only way to win."

Shadowpaw blinked in disbelief, now realizing how much sense that made. _I can't believe I fell for that!_

"I was a little worried that you'd actually beat me," the other apprentice confessed. "I mean, I've heard that Nightstorm is very fast. It'd make sense for his daughter to be fast as well."

"You should know better than to trick others just to win," Ferretpounce growled. The brown-patched tom's expression was filled with displeasure.

Dapplepaw ducked her head. "I know, and I'm sorry," she responded meekly.

"It's fine," Shadowpaw reassured her. "I just wanted to prove myself to the fastest apprentice…."

Brackenface leaped down from the stone and padded to Dapplepaw's side. "I'm sure she's learned her lesson," he meowed. "As for how the training went, Shadowpaw's definitely learned a lot today."

Shadowpaw nodded eagerly, while Ferretpounce merely huffed in acknowledgement.

"Let's all go back to camp," the white and brown warrior meowed. He padded off into the forest with a twitch of his ears.

When Shadowpaw started to follow, she remembered how exhausted she was. Her posture drooped, and she softly gasped for air.

"Here, let me help," Ferretpounce rumbled, appearing by her side. He allowed her to put her weight on his broad shoulder.

Dapplepaw flanked her other side. "Sorry again," she breathed. "Next time we train together, let's have a fair race."

"It's a deal." Shadowpaw smiled tiredly at the tortoiseshell she-cat, who gave her a soft smile in return. The black-furred she-cat turned back towards the direction of camp, the smile still on her face. Dapplepaw may have tricked her before, but she meant well. She was definitely someone Shadowpaw could call a friend.

 _I hope we stay friends forever_ , she thought warmly.

* * *

 **Aaand that's the end of the chapter! I haven't written in ages, so I hope it was alright :3 I'll do a question for every chapter so that y'all have something to review about~.**

 **QOTD: What are your thoughts about Dapplepaw?**

 **See you next update!**

 **;; Orangeflight of ShadowClan**


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